H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. founded 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

Two packaging formats for H and H tea — the small cylindrical tin for premium loose-leaf Orange Pekoe, and the folded cardboard carton for the retail grocery shelf. Both carry the H and H brand as a grocery-annex extension of the coffee business.

Quick ID:

  • Two distinct forms: small round cylindrical tin (early) vs. folding paperboard carton (mid-century)
  • “H and H Brand High Grade Orange Pekoe” is the primary variety text on both tin and carton
  • The UTSA trade-show photo (c.1948, HH-REF-0000-0007) shows cartons pyramided next to Master Chef cans — both formats overlap in the late 1940s
  • Early cylindrical tin pre-dates the Delaware Street plant (1932); the folding carton is the retail successor by the 1940s

Tin form

Small upright cylindrical tin with friction lid. Orange Pekoe Ceylon & India is the primary documented variety. The tin is notably small — consistent with quarter- to half-pound leaf-tea packaging conventions of the era. Color scheme not fully documented from current specimens; the one collection example (“Early H and H Tea small cylindrical tin”) predates the Delaware Street plant.

Carton form

Folding paperboard carton with printed label. The collection holds an H and H Brand High Grade Orange Pekoe tea cardboard retail box (unopened) — the standard mid-century grocery format replacing the loose-leaf tin in the 1940s–1950s. The Master Chef promotional-table photograph (c.1948, UTSA) shows H-H Tea cartons pyramided next to Master Chef coffee cans at a trade-show display, confirming both formats were live simultaneously.

Varieties documented

  • Orange Pekoe (Ceylon & India) — primary documented variety in both tin and carton
  • H and H Guaran-Tea — mentioned in the 1923 advertising campaign (novelty “guarantee” wordplay)

Dating

The tea line is documented in the August 1923 San Antonio Light trade spread as a first-year product with “65% of San Antonio stores” distribution. The tin format likely predates or is contemporaneous with 1923. The carton format appears in 1940s–1950s materials. The 1958 San Antonio Light “H and H Tea iced-glass promotion” confirms active retail through the late 1950s.

Manufacturer

Tin container: Fabricator undocumented. Size and form consistent with quarter- to half-pound loose-leaf tea packaging conventions of the era.

Carton: Printer/fabricator undocumented. The unopened 3 oz carton in the collection (HH-COLL-2024-0001) is the best current specimen for inspecting print marks.

Co-packing / blending partner: H. W. Taylor Company (Philadelphia) is named as the 1923 tea partner in the San Antonio Light trade spread — possibly the blender or co-packer supplying the H and H tea line. The November 1932 Spice and Extract Department expansion may have brought some tea packing in-house.

Artifacts

In the collection

Reference

  • HH-REF-0000-0014 — H and H Crystalvac coffee jar, H and H Tea box, and High Grade tin (group photo)
  • HH-REF-0000-0119 — Early H and H Tea Tin (Instagram archive)
  • HH-REF-1958-0001 — San Antonio Light 1958 — H & H iced-tea glass premium offer (Newspapers.com clip)

Wanted

None documented.

Open questions

  • Was the tea sourced and packed in-house, or co-packed under H and H label? The 1923 spread names H. W. Taylor Company (Philadelphia) as a tea partner — possibly the blender or packer behind the H and H tea line.
  • Were other tea varieties (e.g. green, pekoe cut) offered beyond Orange Pekoe?

See also